TOM Hendry, a local Westbury musician, lyricist and dance music producer has released his first official album after signing to a national label back in October last year. Tom was picked up by the label after they were impressed with his ‘UK hardcore’ dance music.
The Leicester based music label, Stomp-Inc UK, release and promote hard dance music; most commonly ‘hardcore’ or rave-based tunes. The label signed Tom, aka R.E.P (Rapid Electronic Production) back in October last year after being impressed with Tom’s 17 track self-released project, Digital Mania. Now Tom has released his first official album, Hardcore Lovers EP, which can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
“The label released my first official album, Hardcore Lovers EP, which I had spent the best part of six months producing in my home studio,” Tom said. “The album is best described as a seven-track home-made ‘happy-hardcore’ mix, featuring a range of classic to modern-sounding elements of hard rave music.
“The album has had a good response so far; the other artists on my label have also shown me great support over the last few months since its release online.
“Hardcore Lovers EP has been officially released and marketed throughout the internet thanks to my label, and it is available to listen to on the likes of Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify; just search for the album online.
Tom was picked up by the label back in October following some of his songs getting popular on the online platform, Soundcloud; the label liked his original style of production, and helped him to release his first official album.
Tom added, “I go by the artist name, R.E.P, which in the case of my lyrics and rapping stands for ’Rhythmic English Poetry’, but to market my dance music it now stands for ’Rapid Electronic Production’.
“Happy hardcore is my favourite style of electronic music and is what I make most of the time. It is one of those things that should make us proud to be British. It is a genre which initially originated in the UK in the early ‘90s and was generally associated with the early rave scene and its culture. However, although it has changed and evolved over the past few decades, it has in fact kept its original fast-paced tempo, floating around 170-175BPM, and its melodic piano riffs and the female vocals that support this speed of electronica.
“The style is built up around hard-hitting four-to-the-floor kickdrums coupled with grinding off-beat bass, uplifting pads, strings and pianos, and at chorus point, floor-filling hard electronic lead sounds. These sounds are generally topped with chops of female vocals. A staple of the hardcore sound is actually also to incorporate elements of drum and bass or jungle at many points filling breakdowns and end-bar segments of the mix.”
Tom says his plans for the upcoming year are to fine-tune his music production skills and to connect and collaborate with other UK hardcore artists. Tom also hopes to be play one of his own pieces on the unsigned artist slot on Radio 1’s introducing show.
You can listen to Tom’s/ REP’s new album, Hardcore Lovers EP, on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
Tom’s is working on his follow up album, Hardcore Lovers EP Vol.2, and it should be released in Autumn of this year
Pictured: Tom Hendry aka R.E.P.
